Summary: Every expat has to contend with settling in to their new life in a new culture. Culture shock is a reality for many, and Lance Castille has some great ideas to help manage the impact of an international relocation.

Have you been posted abroad by your organization or company? Or maybe you have decided to follow a dream or work for a cause outside your homeland?

Whether you're living and working overseas by choice or by assignment, you will at times experience some form of stress from culture shock or adjustment to the new culture.

Cycles of stress can start with the process of packing and shipping household belongings as you begin to leave the familiar behind.

When arriving at your overseas destination you may experience stress when you find yourself surrounded by unfamiliar sights, sounds, smells, new ways of thinking, and new rules of the foreign land.

Culture

There will be stress to some degree when coping with a new culture: a new language which you may or may not be able to read, write, or even speak; new foods with unfamiliar flavors and textures or from unfamiliar food sources; new styles of relating, working, and playing; the relative welcome or exclusion of foreigners by the local residents; new and different social rules, laws and taboos.

Environment

The environment of the new country brings its own potential sources of stress caused by the possible differences from home: temperature; weather and climate; relative reliability of services such as electricity, water, telephone, internet connection, garbage pickup; relative safety of the new location; the degree of cleanliness of air, water, streets public sanitation. Also the degree of poverty or affluence of the local population, compared with foreign residents; the quality and availability of health care; the degree or lack of "the rule of law;" the degree of public order whether things work or not in the new location; differences in religion and religious practices; the volume, amount and types of sounds in the new locale–music, public announcements, automobiles, and animals; and the attitudes towards time in the new country can be sources of stress.

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About the Author Lance Castille is a consultant, coach and hypnotist. He has lived and worked abroad since the late 1980s and has advised and worked with organizations and individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, professions and nationalities. Currently he is the manager of Phnom Penh Hypnosis, the first professional hypnosis service in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. For more information on handling stress, ending negative habits, or cultural adjustment, contact Mr. Castille at http://www.PhnomPenh-Hypnosis.com.

First Published: May 08, 2009